When We Were Young
by PuppyLuvr06
Summary: A collection of short stories about a younger Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, and Bruno that tells of both canon and made up events. Semi-AU. Ties in with my other Heroes stories.
1. Part 1

He remembered the day well. The day Bruno met the prince and princess of Askr—Alfonse and Sharena. The day he took the name Zacharias around them.

After all, he'd never truly been alone after that.

The sky was clear and the flowers had never looked so vibrant; painting the landscape in more colors than Bruno had thought possible…

He'd been wandering around for a while, finding himself in a plain with nothing but flowers as far as the eye could see. At least he thought that until he heard voices, and started seeing three figures in the distance.

"Come on! It's like you're not even trying!" The little blonde one cried, abruptly stopping to turn around and cross her arms.

"That's because I'm not." The boy she was talking to—who looked a few years older than her—replied bluntly.

"Why not?! Didn't you say I'm your favorite little sister?!" The girl asked, only seeming to look more stubborn as she went on. Getting closer, Bruno realized she had a little flower crown on her head; and so did the woman watching over the two of them.

"Sharena, you're my only little sister." The boy answered simply.

"Only a better reason for you to play with me! Come on! Admit today is a perfect day to play and you're sitting here moping for no reason! WE MADE COOKIES, ALFONSE. COOKIES. But we can't have them until lunch, and after lunch we have to go home, which means now is our only time to play!"

The boy sighed. "But you can come back whenever you'd like with Mother."

"But you won't be able to come back with us!" The girl pointed out. "You're always studying or training or doing whatever to make Father happy. So please? For me, maybe?"

Bruno was surprised to see the woman doing nothing about this. The two—siblings?—kids were clearly getting upset, and as the person seemingly watching them, shouldn't she care? Or maybe not. What he knew about caretakers was limited. Maybe that was…normal?

As he got closer to them, the little girl perked up and looked at him oddly. She ran right over to him, alerting the boy of Bruno's existence as well.

The girl had to look up at him a little, but within a moment she had her hands behind her back and looked rather innocent. "Where'd you come from?" She asked curiously, looking around a bit before bringing her attention back to him.

"Over there," Bruno replied, tilting his head over his shoulder.

"What's your name?" She then asked as the boy walked up to stand beside her. "I'm Sharena and this"—she pulled the boy a little closer to him—"is my brother Alfonse."

Bruno paused for a moment, glancing over to the woman behind them. What would she do if he said his real name—if he revealed he was Emblian royalty, far from "home" in the near center of the enemy kingdom? Explaining the past few years was not something he particularly wanted to share, especially to these strangers. He tried thinking of a name, an alias, something that might cover up his origins for as long as it was needed.

"Zacharias." Bruno replied, without really thinking. Well, that would have to do now. "My name is Zacharias."

Sharena nodded. "Now, Zacharias. Will you play with me? I'll let you have some of our cookies!"

"Might I…stay with you instead?" Bruno asked carefully, particularly looking at the woman behind the kids. "I've never had much of a proper home in a while. I'll gladly do as you ask; as long as I have food and a shelter, I'd do anything."

Sharena looked over her shoulder. "Can he, Mother? Pleeeeeaaaaaaaassssse?"

So that woman was their mother? Well, she did look like Sharena. "I'll speak with the king about it. Until then, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you're new friend stayed with the servants…"

"Thank you!" Sharena turned back to Bruno, and clapped. "Now come on!" She started running, laughing as she said, "Catch me if you can! Alfonse, I'll hide your sword if you don't join in!"

"You wouldn't dare," Alfonse remarked.

Bruno started looking around to try to find where Sharena had gone.

"I'm not kidding! I know a place you'll never find it!" Sharena replied playfully. "Also I'll make it all sparkly on the off chance you do find it! Also also I might get the servants to give me your dessert so HA."

"SHARENA!" Now Alfonse seemed to show some motivation towards playing—especially after Sharena stuck her tongue out at him.

Bruno laughed. He had a feeling he was going to have fun with these two. Like they'll be friends. Did they need to know his past in order to be friends with them?

Still. Friends. It was a word near foreign to him, more so when directed towards him. The thought made him smile.

"Wait up!" Bruno called as he started chasing after Sharena, Alfonse close beside him with a look closer to rage.


	2. Part 2

It had been nearly a year since Bruno met the siblings. And it was actually quite a bit more fun than he'd thought, even if he found out rather awkwardly that they were the royals of Askr. For the first few days, he'd slept with the servants while he proved to be of some sort of use to the king. Then he was permitted a room near Alfonse's and Sharena's. He'd been given access to nearly everything his friends had, if not because they showed it to him. He was even given more chances to practice with his lance, something that had grown rarer before meeting them.

Bruno jabbed the moving dummy rather easily, making the stuff that has been inside it form a puddle below. There was an odd kind of sensation that came from thinking of it as blood—and he took a bit too much amusement in it than what he would be comfortable with.

"That was awesome!" He jumped, turning around quickly and ready to fight whoever had intruded. Then he nearly dropped his lance in an attempt to not point it at Sharena.

"What are you doing here?" Bruno asked a bit harsher than he had meant.

Sharena gave a little shrug, seeming to realize she'd startled him. "Er, sorry… Alfonse is doing let's-make-a-vain-attempt-to-please-Father stuff, and Mother went somewhere with her friends, so…I thought I'd see what you were doing." She looked to the ground, then looked back up at him. "So how'd you do that?"

"I just…stabbed it. With my lance." Bruno answered simply. He didn't really know how to explain it. But he thought of a better question to ask her. "You mean you've never been taught how to wield a weapon before?" Anyone who knew anything about weapons would know how to hit something.

Sharena shook her head. "Father never listens when I ask and Mother won't have it."

Bruno was confused and intrigued, particularly by the fact he'd never really noticed this until now. "What about self-defense?"

He was almost starting to find this unbelievable as she shook her head again. He knew she'd grow up into a fine noblewoman—the princess, at that—if one would be able to either deal with or get rid of her childish nature. Sadly he had come across plenty of men who'd take advantage of that.

"I'm either with Mother, which normally has her guards, or I'm with you and Alfonse." Sharena explained, shrugging. "And on the off chance I am alone, I'm never really outside of castle grounds. There's never been a need to."

"Well let's change that." Bruno said, putting his lance aside. He turned around and grabbed to wooden ones, tossing one of them to Sharena. "I'll teach you how to wield a lance. I'm not a master, but—"

"YOU WILL?!" Her expression lit up immediately as she just barely caught the wooden lance. She seemed so happy, and that happiness rubbed off on him.

Bruno smiled. "The best I can," he confirmed. "Let's find some place a bit more open. We'll start with the basics and go from there."

Sharena bounced a little and hugged him. "Thank you! You've just made my week!" She stepped back, beaming. "Let me make a note for Alfonse in case he wants to find us."

He let her do what she needed, busying himself by gathering what training supplies he half-guessed half-knew they'll need. They finished around the same time, joining back up and heading out.

They wandered for a while, soon coming into a clearing. Bruno then started showing her how to hold it, basic stances—trying his best to remember the words of his trainer years ago. He was surprised how concentrated she was and how little her attention wavered from him. The look of confidence and excitement in her eyes proved she was ready.

Hours passed without either of them really realizing it. They had a nice conversation, and they even laughed together; it was surprisingly much more fun than he'd thought, even if he narrowly escaped being asked where he was from.

Bruno liked the idea that he was doing something that might help put the kingdom of his birth—the kingdom that had thrown him away for something his mother did—back in its place. And even if he didn't like the idea of his friends personally getting involved in it, it was reassuring to know that Sharena would stand a fighting chance if need be. He was pretty sure she had her own reasons to be doing this as well.

The sun was nearly down and they were just finishing up when Alfonse came.

"Lost track of time?" He asked in a slightly annoyed tone. "Father wasn't happy when you weren't in the castle, Sharena. And he definitely wasn't pleased when he learned Zacharias was with you."

"Sorry…" Sharena replied, looking down at the ground.

Alfonse sighed. "Let's hurry back home before the leftovers are given to the servants and we don't get dinner."

Sharena nodded and led the way back to the castle, but Alfonse turned to Bruno before they entered.

"Zacharias," he said with an unreadable expression. "You have to have realized by now: Father doesn't like you. It's hard enough trying to keep him from hounding you, and however good your intentions may be, he's not going to like you training Sharena. Keep that in mind next time, okay?"

"Alright," Bruno agreed. He's already keeping secrets from them; what harm could from from one more?


	3. Part 3

Somehow they'd been able to get away with their training easily, even though they couldn't go far from the castle and they couldn't accompany Alfonse since the king saw them as a "distraction." Overall everything was going well, besides Bruno being given a blunt warning about "giving the heir any frivolous ideas."

Today, though, was a special exception to that. Bruno had been able to talk his way into letting Alfonse train with them, which not only gave Sharena the practice of dodging swords but also gave the bonus of all three of them being together.

It was near noon when they were packing up the wooden weapons to eat their lunch.

"How about we go to the river and have a picnic?" Sharena suggested almost randomly. "The food's already packed, and it's not far from here."

Bruno nodded. "I can't think of a better way to spend some time." Despite knowing them for a year, normal-person bonding was something they lacked. They'd grown close through whatever they did together, which was normally duller tasks they made fun and worthwhile.

"Father—" Alfonse started.

"Father can deal with it." Sharena ended for him, crossing her arms and frowning stubbornly. "I've seen you five times this week. And that's more than I've seen you in the past five months. The last time I saw you the longest? Six months ago for half the day on my birthday, and most of that time wasn't even spent with us." She was making a good point. Bruno had seen him just a bit more than Sharena had; they'd only engaged in conversation half of those times. "Admit that Father has been expecting far too much of you since you've turned thirteen. And oh, look at that, it's nearing that time for him to dump even more work on you, who knew!"

Alfonse seemed torn, his gaze shifting from Bruno to Sharena before looking at the ground. "Sharena…"

"You're coming with us," Sharena decided, grabbing her brother's arm. "And we will have fun, and if you dare to even think about Father, I will make you stay longer. Hear me?"

"Yes, Sister." Alfonse agreed, sighing.

Sharena looked over at Bruno. "Zacharias, can you carry everything? I've got to make sure Alfonse won't run away."

"Sure," Bruno replied. He grabbed what they had brought and followed Sharena.

They got to the river, and started setting everything up. Sharena kept looking at Alfonse like he might disappear if she turned away; even though Bruno was close enough to just pull the prince back if need be.

Rustling from the nearby bushes interrupted their conversation, and Bruno was startled when a little white owl came out from it and decided his head was a good perch. Trying to look up at it was a fruitless effort.

"Come back here you little—!" Then a girl came out of the bushes as well. Her red hair was a mess, and when she saw the three of them, she looked in trouble. She cursed. "You, uh…I see Feh likes you." She pointed to where the owl sat on Bruno's head.

"You think?" He remarked bluntly. "Now tell me something I don't know: how I get it off my head."

Sharena laughed. "But it's adorable!" She gently took the owl off of Bruno and patted it. "Who's a cute little owl?" The owl chirped in response.

The other girl stared at Sharena in bewilderment. "But how— I just spent an hour chasing that owl. You just tamed her in seconds."

"Aw, she just likes being petted!" Sharena replied brightly, absently scratching the owl under the chin.

"Might I ask who you are?" Alfonse inquired. "I'm—"

"Prince Alfonse," the girl said, nodding. "You're Prince Alfonse, I'm assuming you're"—she pointed towards Sharena—"Princess Sharena, but I don't know who you"—she nodded to Bruno—"are."

"I'm Zacharias," Bruno replied.

The girl nodded. "Alright then, still don't know who you are! But you're with the royals so I'm assuming you aren't kidnapping them or something!" She paused for a second. "Now it's my turn. I'm Commander Anna of the Order of Heroes! Er…what's going to be the Order of Heroes. Once Feh starts cooperating with me. And, uh…once we get some Heroes. And I'm not the only member…"

Sharena blinked, earning an odd look from both Anna and Alfonse.

"Did I talk too fast..?" Anna asked, before shaking her head and sighing. "Heroes? The people from the other worlds? That you, as an Askran royal, have the ability to open a portal to? That Emblian royalty have been refusing to close for some time now? That we could very well be at the verge of a war over..?"

Bruno frowned at the name of Embla. He had the cursed blood of the royal family. And if he completely understood how, he could close the portals, too. After all, there was nothing more he could lose from Embla; they'd already taken near everything he had. What could they do if he ticked them off just a bit more?

Hm, maybe that wasn't actually a good choice. He looked at Alfonse and Sharena…and even to Anna. There was still more his birth kingdom could take from him. If Embla were to find out that they were friends… Well, there was more for the empire to gain than lose.

"Why don't you join us?" Alfonse offered to Anna. "I'd like to know more."

Sharena didn't look too happy, but Anna took the invitation and joined them.


	4. Part 4

The next few weeks flew by, and soon the three of them found themselves joining the Order of Heroes's cause.

Even if it seemed like everyone else was completely against the idea; since most of the people saw it only as foolish children asking for their deaths. The king in particular was furious, sending Alfonse, Sharena, and Bruno to the other side of the castle and making it quite clear he never wanted to see any of them again.

But the rough start didn't bother any of them. They were all together, and were free to do whatever they pleased. Being treated like they didn't exist had its advantages, it seemed. There was no longer a king to command them, no more need to worry about what the others thought—and Bruno knew from personal experience how much worse it could've been.

Anna had gone all-out on their sort of welcome party, showing them around the old building she called a castle (which needed a lot of work before it would be anywhere near a proper castle) and giving them their new white-and-gold armor. Everyone claimed a room, in case they needed to stay there or just didn't want to actually go home, and their first "missions" as part of the Order were to help fix up the place.

But most of their time was still spent together; laughing and joking, forging the bond the four of them shared as a team.

Today was a perfect example of that. After a long day of work and a bit of training, they went outside to eat. Anna started a little campfire, and thanked them for helping. Alfonse was sitting beside Bruno, staring into the fire blankly; whereas Bruno was trying to ignore the burnt taste of their food. And Sharena sat on the other side of them, Feh happily cooing in her arms.

"So is Feh kinda like your pet?" The princess asked Anna, breaking through the silence.

Anna shrugged. "If annoying the heck out of me counts as being my pet, then yes." She nodded to the little owl. "Though I think she likes you more than she's ever liked me."

As though Feh knew they were talking about her, she looked up at Anna and looked oddly displeased. Bruno snorted, and gained his own stare of disapproval from the owl. It was strange how much she looked like she hated him. That is until Sharena started petting her again.

"Aw, she just likes being petted." Sharena said, sounding just as happy as Feh now looked.

"If you say so…" Anna replied skeptically. She paused for a bit, then gestured to the three of them. "Anyway. We'll be going on our first real mission tomorrow; it's about time we see if we can get some Heroes on our side."

Alfonse looked over to her. "Chances of running into Emblian soldiers?"

"There's not much ways of telling, I'm afraid." Anna answered, shaking her head. "As far as I know no one's been seen around there for months. But if I know Embla we can't assume they aren't already planning something."

"Best be on our guard," Bruno agreed, then grinned. "Though if they think we'll be easy targets, then they're wrong." He used to be one of those people; he knew their mindset on such manners. While it may be hard to see, Embla did possess a sense of honor. The young and old alike were normally ignored in battle—they were considered easy targets and were proven useless to the empire's self-esteem. He wasn't even sure if the soldiers would know what the Askran royals looked like, which would be the only reason he could think of that would cause them to change that code.

"Yeah!" Sharena said with a smile, startling the sleepy Feh on her lap.

Anna seemed to completely ignore Sharena, instead grinning at Bruno. "I like the way you think, Zacharias."

"Is that all, then?" Alfonse asked, standing up. "We should head back before it gets darker."

"My only other concern is going to talk a bit of explaining, so we can go over that tomorrow." Anna replied with a shrug. "I'll be waiting here for you in the morning."

Alfonse nodded, and Sharena and Bruno got up as well. Sharena gave Feh to Anna, and waved goodbye before the three of them started walking back to the castle.


	5. Part 5

(Kind of just a random blurb... Probably skippable for the most part...)

Early morning light streamed through the partially-opened windows, and was probably the only reason they could see the map Anna had spread out on the table. Alfonse, Sharena, and Bruno stood at one end of the table, whereas their commander was pacing on the other.

"Tell me if this stops making sense," she told them. "If any of you run into someone who looks and kind of acts like me, who also says her name is Anna, ignore her. Regrettably we're probably going to run into at least one of them." Anna frowned, and before Sharena could ask any questions like she looked like she was going to, she continued. "There's a lot of explaining where that comes from but I'll try to dumb it down. Basically every world has at least five Annas, we're all practically identical save for ages because time differences between the worlds, and I'm the only one who's not a traveling merchant. Oh and I'm pretty sure they don't like me. At all." She looked over at them. "Any questions?"

Sharena raised her hand and waved it around frantically. "OH OH!" The 'oh please no' look on Anna's face was almost amusing. "Will we ever run into one of the Annas here?"

Anna shook her head. "Nope. All of them but me are no where near Askr and Embla. I wouldn't be surprised if they're all dead because they sold the wrong thing to the wrong person." She didn't seem sad about it though; honestly she looked a bit relieved. "Now grab your things and let's head out."

The three of them nodded, taking their weapons and following Anna out the door once she got hers.

Sharena was optimistically half-bouncing, half-walking as they traveled, with both Alfonse and Bruno basically hovering over her as soon as they went through to the other world. She didn't seem to mind either of them, though; instead getting distracted pretty easily.

Bruno didn't like the feeling he had here. It just felt…wrong. And with each step the thought of what would happen if Emblian soldiers really were here haunted him more; pieces of the dark image falling into place to form one of the few things he still feared about Embla.

After all, he hardly changed in appearance since he left—there'd been no need since Askr didn't seem to pay any mind to it, possibly because he never spoke of his Emblian heritage. Very little had changed. His hair was messier, he was taller, and he wore the armor of the Order… Besides that he still looked like the boy they exiled years ago. It wouldn't be hard for someone to recognize him if they were to find them.

And nothing good would come of it. His friends would need to know the full truth then…if they weren't killed because they were seen with him. He realized just how much he was risking by being with them—by still being alive.

Soon they got to a small village, which seemed to be overflowing with an uncomfortably large amount of people. The four of them walked in rather confidently, though. He watched Alfonse and Anna greet nearly everyone by name with confidence, as if they weren't strangers to this world. It occurred to him both of them probably knew this world and its history; he'd seen dozens of books in the castle library dedicated to the other worlds.

They quickly found the center of town, and found something to occupy their time with. Anna started talking to some of the people about the Order's cause, with Alfonse close by her side. Bruno found himself making sure Sharena didn't wander off too far, and generally just keeping the young princess out of trouble.

"Hey, Zacharias!" Sharena called, darting from shop to shop to stare at the decorations. "Look at this!"

Bruno reluctantly pushed his way through the crowd to see what she was talking about. In her hands, she had a little wooden fawn. She patted its head with her finger as if it was actually a living creature.

"You think Feh would be jealous if we bring back one of them?" She joked playfully, smiling and setting the carving back down. "Here I thought leaving the castle was exciting. Look at all this! This is amazing!"

"I beg to differ," Bruno said. He couldn't help but take a look at the bustling crowd around them. Being around possibly hundreds of people wasn't exactly his definition of "amazing." "Let's see if the others are having any luck." He paused. "Actually they may need a cheerful girl like you to win them over…"

"Alright!" Sharena replied happily. "Let's go meet some Heroes!"


	6. Part 6

He moaned when someone tossed a pillow at him. Bruno shoved back the pillow and rolled over. "No." He said bluntly.

Their mission to recruit some Heroes was successful. At least by Anna's terms. Bruno had spent the whole night listening to them muttering, silently praying they'd stay in their part of the one-day-castle. Knowing there was unfamiliar people—that might not even be trustworthy—here didn't mix well with his thoughts.

"You can't sleep all day, you know." Alfonse reminded him, whacking him with the pillow again. "Commander Anna took Sharena and the Heroes out scouting. She tasked us with checking the weapons and plotting where all the portals are."

"Why did you whack me with a pillow..?" He wasn't awake enough for this. It took a bit of effort for him to not fall asleep again.

"Because I needed to wake you up and I figured you wouldn't like it if I tugged your blankets off instead." Alfonse replied casually. "Think of it this way: the sooner you're up, the sooner we get done, which means the sooner you can nap."

"But why wait to take a nap later when I could just go back to sleep now?" Bruno questioned, rolling onto his back and finally opening his eyes.

The completely unamused stare Alfonse was giving him almost made him laugh. "Because we're already an hour and a half behind, you haven't even gotten up yet, and I'm pretty sure Commander Anna expects us to be finished by the time they come back."

"Well I'm pretty sure she doesn't expect anything." Bruno told him honestly, throwing his blankets on the prince playfully. "I'm going to ask you something," he continued as he got off his bed and started getting dressed. "Have you ever once considered you're no longer bound by time limits and your father's word?"

"Yes, actually." Alfonse finally pulled the blankets of his head by the time Bruno was dressed. "Then I 'consider' that it wasn't under happy circumstances. It wasn't because I was good enough to him, quite frankly it was the opposite."

"I just asked a simple question…" Bruno pointed out, taking the blankets out of Alfonse's hands and unceremoniously tossed them back on the bed.

Alfonse sighed, beginning to walk out of the room. "Sorry. I know you only meant well." He gave him a little smile. "Now let's check the weapons."

Bruno nodded and followed him down to the weaponry. Given their small collection, it didn't take long until they'd finished that and began moving on to the next task; which they then spent an hour just getting everything ready.

Apparently, at some point in time, they had gained access to at least a dozen books about the other worlds. Alfonse explained to him that Anna had asked Sharena to convince the queen to get the scribes to copy the books for them. Bruno then became the book prop, and the page flipper.

"I've been wondering," Alfonse said. It had been a while since he told him something other than "flip." "What was your home like? Before meeting us."

He tried his best to not look surprised. "Well…"

"You don't have to answer, if you don't want to." Alfonse informed him quickly. "It was kind of random."

"No, it's fine." As long as he didn't end up telling him too much… Bruno chose his words carefully, hoping Alfonse won't question his long pause. "Most of the time, it was…normal, really. Up until a few years ago, I had a caring mother, a father, and a little sister." Usually he never dwelled on the thought of his family. And any words that described his father were not good ones. "Then my mother was accused of unforgivable things, and the only one who walked away happy was my father."

"Er…" The awkward expression Alfonse had spoke more than what he said.

Bruno shrugged. "What's done is done. At least something good became of it." He playfully whacked Alfonse. "That's you guys."

"The fact you're taking this very lightly is a little odd." Alfonse confessed, glancing over at the book Bruno was holding and then making another point on the map. "But I'm still curious. Might I ask another question?"

"What more are friends than people to share your dark past with?" Bruno replied, really only half joking. It wouldn't hurt for him to know a little more…right? Then again, something told him that his true past wouldn't really matter to them. That they'd…accept it.

It was clear that whatever Alfonse wanted to ask, he didn't think he'd like it. "Your family…your old home… You're Emblian, aren't you?"

Bruno couldn't help but stare. "How did you..?"

"I can see your expression when someone mentions Embla," Alfonse explained. "The look of hatred and betrayal. You hide it well, sure—neither of the others have probably noticed it. I've suspected you weren't from Askr, if not just because of your lack of formalities around us when we met. Now everything adds up."

"Remind me to never try to hide something from you." He was still hiding something, though…maybe even the most dangerous secret. His royal blood.

They were in silence for a bit while Alfonse made more points on the map.

"There's something else—"

Alfonse was interrupted by the door opening, and voices.

"…just don't go anywhere near the royal castle." Anna informed the Heroes as they came in. "Suffice to say I don't think that will end very well for anybody."

"Commander Anna, Sharena," Alfonse greeted. "The scouting went well, I hope?"

Anna nodded. "Besides your sister's over enthusiasm about just about everything, yes."

To prove the point, Sharena was too busy trying to start a conversation with the Heroes to even notice Anna was talking about her.

"You'll get used to it eventually." Alfonse assured her.

"One of us might die first if it takes eleven years, though." Anna joked, then nodded to them. "Alright, finish up what you two are doing and we'll continue fixing up this place. We've got a long way to go…"


	7. Part 7

Bruno never did learn what Alfonse had wanted to say; every time he asked about it, he blushed and insisted he had no idea what he was talking about. Even when it was just them. And the subject of Bruno's home never came up again after that day, either.

The next two years flew by rather quickly. They got more Heroes, and with the extra hands was able to all but finish the castle—making it finally look presentable, even if everything else still needed a bit of work. Once they even freed some Heroes from their Emblian contracts, which was…something.

And just the four of them did plenty together, as well. For example, last winter festival Sharena made her present to him and Alfonse a whole lot of glitter, quite literally; she must've spent hours throwing it on everything in sight, including their hair when they woke up. She had never looked like she was trying so hard not to laugh in all the time he'd known her. And both of them were pretty annoyed by her gift, too. Anna even banned Sharena from having glitter.

Today, though, didn't seem to be another good day for them. Moments ago, Anna had called a meeting, and now paced before the three of them. She definitely didn't look happy.

"Did the scouts come back?" Alfonse asked her, clearly worried.

Anna nodded, and sighed. "Only with bad news," she replied. "The king of Embla is dead. Yesterday was his daughter's coronation, and our sources say she swore to keep her father's legacy. And it's not a lie—what she's done already proves that."

"Wh-What?!" Bruno was stuck on the fact that the king—his father—was dead, and possibly a bit annoyed he wasn't the one to do it. Then another thought came into his mind. The king only had one daughter…but she surely shared a fate similar to Bruno or their mother. Even if it shouldn't be possible, it was worth a shot to ask. "The scouts didn't happen to hear…her name, did they? The princess?"

Now the other three were staring at him oddly. Anna in particular looked pretty skeptical as she answered cautiously, "Veronica. Do you know her?"

At this point he just hoped he still looked even remotely normal. He didn't think his sister had lived past that day…then again their father always favored her, after showing a more violent nature at a younger age than him. And there was also the option of needing a living heir. He began to wonder if…if she'd remember him.

"Not exactly…" Bruno replied after he realized he'd been asked a question. He didn't think he'd be able to convincingly say "no."

"Back to the task at hand," Anna said. "She's no doubt going to try to raid the worlds on this side of the border, too. I've got a feeling the only ones who'll stop her is us." She stopped pacing, and gestured to the map. "If we can get a few steps ahead, maybe we can end this quickly."

"You're making it sound like we're going to war…" Sharena pointed out quietly.

Alfonse sighed, looking over at his sister with an unreadable expression. "Well…we kind of are."

"Technically, we've been at war for a while." Anna remarked, not in the least bit sounding reassuring. "Your father's just not doing anything about it. And before now, so did Embla for the most part." After seeing the look Alfonse and Bruno were giving her, she shrugged. "What? I'm only being honest."

Alfonse turned his attention back to Sharena. "If you're not ready—"

"No." Sharena said firmly. "I'm staying with you guys. But if any of you die I'll never forgive you. Got that?"

Bruno and Alfonse nodded.

"If either of you die the royals gonna kill me so, uh…" Anna muttered. "I second that no one dies thing." She grinned. "Now, let's get to work."

And that's exactly what they did. They went over different situations and strategies. Eventually Anna sent more Heroes out, in an attempt to hopefully recover more information on their new enemy.

Though only half of Bruno was really paying attention. If it really was the Veronica he knew…he wouldn't just be up against everything he hated. He wasn't fighting his birth home, the land that threw him away. He wasn't fighting his father—but instead his little sister.

One day he'd need to pick a side, and stay there until the end. But… How could he choose between his friends, or his sister..?


	8. Part 8

It took weeks for things to get even close to normal again. He began considering if it was possible to not choose a side—eliminate Embla getting to the other worlds by closing the portals, explain to his sister the ideas of Askr and to his friends the goals of Embla. It would be easier said than done, but…if it would help, should there really be much of a choice? If it could prevent the need to choose, then it was the best option he could think of.

Every time they went to another world, they were able to avoid the Emblian soldiers. Most of the time Bruno figured they'd already left by the time the slowly-growing Order could. They normally impressed at least one of the Heroes on their little quests, and he knew that soon they might have a force to be reckoned with.

Today was more on the uneventful side, thankfully. Anna had taken half of the Heroes with her for another world-freeing mission, and tasked everyone else—including Bruno and Sharena—to hold down the fort.

Currently the two of them were in the courtyard, though only one of them was making use of the training dummy.

"Stop putting all your weight into it!" Bruno called, watching his friend from a safe distance. With a technique like that he didn't want to get anywhere near her when she had her lance. And not because she was good. "That won't do anything but get your face covered in dirt when they move!"

Sharena groaned in response. "I don't see you trying!"

"Someone's got to make sure you're doing it right!" He responded with a smirk. He got up and walked over to her. "Look." Bruno stood behind her, putting his hands over hers to guide her through the motions. "Put your feet like this and keep your hands steady. Out in battle there's no time for fear or distractions, only staying alive and protecting our cause. Askr needs both of you if we're going to win. Put all your thoughts, worries, and emotions away for one minute and…thrust." They moved their hands together and put the lance through the training dummy.

He let go, backed up, and took the lance out of the dummy for her. "Now you try."

She nodded confidently, holding her breath while she repeated the movements. Though not very deep, the lance hit right in the general location of the chest. Sharena looked over at him with a little gleam in her eye.

"Good." Bruno told her. She seemed to perk up at her first compliment of the day. "Now wait here a minute."

She gave him an odd look but didn't say anything.

He walked away, returning moments later with his own lance and a few of the Heroes. Bruno gave them the all-clear and they all took out their weapons and turned to each other. Not long after the sound of swords clashing filled the area.

"Now fight me."

"W-what?!" Sharena asked, obviously shocked.

Bruno shrugged. "The commander wants to make sure you can handle pressure. So far you've got the three of us but, eventually, whether you like it or not, we won't always be there. She asked me to make sure you can take care of yourself."

"Can't someone just chant ominous things at me or something?!" Her voice got more desperate at she continued. "What if I hurt you?!"

"Honestly," he said as he prepared himself. "It's not me you should be worried about." Bruno paused, trying to clear his own head. "There's a reason she took Alfonse with her. And…and there might be a time where someone here isn't your friend anymore, but the whole kingdom's enemy. I for one will feel better knowing you won't hesitate to strike down anyone who's seen as a threat. What better way then to put you up against your friend?"

"Are you even listening to yourself?!"

"Hey I don't want to do this any more than you do. But the commander's word is final."

"No!" Sharena gripped her lance tightly though didn't move.

He sighed. That stubborn attitude wouldn't get her anything in any real battle. "Then I guess I'll have to make you."

Bruno was soon able to provoke her enough to get her to hit back. Unlike Sharena, he stayed focused even with the mock-battle sounds around them. It was a lot easier than he would have liked to pin her to the ground, the end of his lance pressed against her back. Should it had been the actual blade, she'd be dead.

All the Heroes stopped, giving each other nods before walking away again.

He put his lance away and offered a hand to Sharena. "You're lucky to have us, you know. If that was a real battle you'd be dead."

She stood up, crossing her arms and frowning. "Well enemy or not I'm not hurting my friends without very good reason."

"Let's just clean up and wait for the others," Bruno suggested. Sharena nodded and followed him back inside.

(Welp that went from bonding to dark foreshading quickly—)


	9. Part 9

Two more years flew by. Together they did amazing things; nothing could ever beat the feeling that came with doing something good. It was remarkable to think that, just four years ago, the Order had only four members. That in such a short time, they'd saved lives and made a name for themselves among those who'd accept their help.

But their story doesn't end with happiness.

He had always been aware of it, even if he'd never admitted it to himself. The bloodlust. That odd pleasure he had when seeing blood, the motivation he gained from imagining it. A powerful advantage in battle, but something hard to keep in check and unwelcomed in any other situation. So far there'd only been one case of a completely overwhelming feeling—luckily for him the others took his half-truth excuse of not feeling well and left him alone for the duration of the day.

Bruno knew that there'd be a day he wouldn't be able to excuse it. Thinking back on it from the current day, he'd foolishly hoped he'd have more time or just a chance to understand it. And of course he wasn't graced with that opportunity.

It was a fine day. A bit chilly, but overall it was pleasant. Bruno, Anna, and Alfonse had gone scouting—Sharena had opted out in order to enjoy their time off by just staying at the castle and chatting with the Heroes. Their walk wasn't in silence; even if it wasn't the most exciting, they quizzed each other on the other worlds.

"World of Conquest royals, go!"

"Xander, Camilla, Leo, Elise, Hinoka, and Sakura." The two boys responded quickly. Only Alfonse added "Corrin" to that list, though.

"I don't think Corrin should count." Bruno pointed out bluntly. "They're technically not even related to any of them."

Alfonse shrugged, looking over his shoulder to his friend. "They're still royalty, in all three of those worlds. Whether they be Hoshidan, Nohrian, or the ruler of Valla, generally the agreement is they're royal." He pause. "If they're male or female is the actual debatable question, as both of them can appear in the same world."

"Okay I'm just going to agree with you there." It was a short argument, but one he was going to go into lengthy detail debating. He wasn't even completely paying attention to their conversation, since he was also trying to ignore the urge to do something…not good.

So they continued on for a while longer. Bruno slowly started getting further away from the other two, and Anna seemed to purposely move so then she walked in between them—but they weren't in a line by any means.

"Zacharias? You're getting awfully quiet." Alfonse asked worriedly.

Bruno stopped. For a minute, it was like his mind was just…empty. If he had any thoughts, he couldn't hear them. Then there was only one, disturbing thought. It just kept repeating the same thought, the same image, over and over. He kept trying to tell himself that he didn't want that. That he wasn't going to do it. But despite this, the desire wouldn't go away.

"…Zacharias?"

The next few moments were a blur. He'd gone from standing there to nearly impaling Alfonse with his lance—luckily for both of them Anna was quicker and was able to get her and her axe between them.

He froze when his mind finally caught up with what he'd just done. Alfonse kept looking from Anna to Bruno with an expression of pure confusion and shock. Anna was just glaring at Bruno, completely emotionless.

"I…" he began in a short-lived attempt to explain. He dropped his lance and staggered back. What had he just done..? "I—I'll just…leave." Without much more thought, he bolted off in whatever direction would get him as far away from them as possible.

"Hey!" Anna called after him, but didn't move from her spot. She said something else but he was too far to hear it.

All he cared about right now was finding some place to think. He'd come back for his lance later, if they didn't take it with them. Maybe he could find some way to explain it to them. Maybe it was finally time…to come clean.


	10. Part 10

After that day, nothing quite felt…right anymore.

Bruno had been faced with the reality that he couldn't tell his friends about his bloodline—even if he liked to imagine otherwise, they either wouldn't understand, claim him of betraying them, or just make it all that much harder. And he was beginning to feel like he'd outlasted his stay, if Anna's "what the heck" expression meant anything. The last few days he spent with them just felt like the commander didn't want him there anymore, or like he'd actually succeeded in killing one of them.

So with much thought on the matter, he decided he'd grant her unspoken wish. He didn't want to try to hurt them again. He couldn't bring himself to end his own life. There was only one person he knew would still welcome him, after all he'd done. Only one kingdom that would have an answer to his questions.

It was funny, really, that after all this time he'd need the help of the kingdom that left him. But it wasn't the kingdom he wanted to see again. It was the young girl who sat on the throne. And if he knew his little sister, having the once-exiled prince on palace grounds again won't be a problem.

The stars and moon provided all the light he needed. Earlier that day, he'd separated from the main group during their visit to another world. While they went on without noticing his absence, he'd gone back to Askr, bartered for normal clothes, and prepared his things. And when the cover of night came around, and the others still hadn't returned, he took the bag and his lance and left. When the others would come to check his room and see if he was there, all they'd see was emptiness.

He made his way to a quiet clearing. There was no one else around for miles. It was in the near opposite direction of anywhere anyone would suspect him being. Bruno prepared the area around him, and lit the fire.

Giving away his new life for his old one back… Fate was a cruel thing, wasn't it?

Slowly, he started taking things out of the bag and into the fire. Soon his white-and-gold armor and, with it, the Askran emblem was being burned away. Everything he'd obtained, each with its own story to tell…in flames. When he was finished, all that would be left as evidence of Zacharias's existence would be in their memories. Maybe there was a better way to go about this. Maybe there was another way. But…this is what he chose.

Bruno stopped when he pulled out a picture. One of three, it had him, Alfonse, and Sharena in it. He'd been surprised Sharena had stayed in one spot that long, and that the king had let Alfonse stay with them for the entire day. It had been one of the few days the three of them were all together before they joined the Order. He smiled genuinely for the first time in a while. Henriette had made a comment around that time that they'd be good friends for a long time to come. He could only hope they still would.

He put the picture in his pocket, unable to make himself drop it into the fire, and continued on with the rest of his past belongings.

…

The next morning, he made his way through lesser known paths to the border. He avoided all other people, refusing help from anyone who offered. Only once did he go into a village—though he was gone an hour later once his supplies were replenished. And by rarely ever stopping, he made it to his destination of the Emblian border.

"Halt! State your name and your business with the Emblian Empire." A border guard commanded.

Bruno didn't answer the way they wanted him to. "I have something Veronica would want to see." It occurred to him a bit too late to use her formal title, but just thinking how his little sister was technically empress now was…odd.

The border guard looked over to their partner. The other just looked back before they both turned their attention back to him.

"Look." He started pulling out his lance, and both the guards visibly flinched. Not preparing their obvious swords for a fight. Just flinched. Nice to know that in his absence they still didn't get any smarter. He rolled his eyes, twirling the lance around so that the bottom was visible to the guards. "A mark of an Emblian blacksmith. And a fancy one at that. These aren't just handed out in Askr, you know. They can't be found Askr at all, actually."

"This just looks like a lance…" one guard whispered.

"Yeah I don't think she'd want to see a normal lance…" the other whispered back.

He whacked their helmets with his lance. "That's not what I'm referring to, you idiots."

One of them let out a muffled "Hey…" before they looked at each other again. The other shrugged, gesturing for Bruno to follow them.

They were letting him into the empire.

(Haha I love dumb background characters. Just remember: Askr's border guards are worse—they don't exist in the first place! At least in my verson of this world.)


	11. Part 11

They took him to the closest collection of soldiers—judging by the tents it was a temporary mini-base—and explained what he had said. When they finished, they were firmly scolded by one of the other soldiers for leaving their post and were sent back almost immediately. And then after making sure Bruno didn't have any other weapons on him (and nearly finding his picture in the process), he was guided deeper into Emblian territory.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized where they were taking him, then once more when he heard the barely-changed voice of his sister.

"…what are you still doing here then?!" Veronica was asking someone close by. The tall shrubbery kept him from seeing her, but he knew for certain it was her. "Either go make yourself useful or wish you had. Off you go!"

A soldier walked out just as they came to face a pavilion that marked the center of the gardens. There was only one guard—a Hero, if both the Emblian and Nohrian emblems were any indication. In the center was a little throne, with a few dolls and a play tea set littered around it.

And sitting on it was none other than the young ruler.

"Princess Veronica," one of the soldiers stepped out from Bruno's side.

"What?" She returned in a bored, slightly-annoyed tone. "I don't have time for your complaints. And I've grown quite disappointed with your group's behavior."

They didn't seem to take that very well. "Er…there's a boy here who wishes to speak with you, Your Imperial Highness."

Bruno held his breath while he waited for Veronica's response. "Really? Is he here to ask impossible things of me, too?"

"Eh, something like that." He remarked with a smirk, earning him a light shove from the soldier.

Veronica's expression went from emotionless to surprised in moments. She looked straight at him like he was a ghost. Without even turning her attention away from him, she waved off the soldiers and guard. "Leave us. Now."

Everyone else left by her command, leaving only the two siblings.

"Brother…is it…is it really you..?" Her voice was quiet and gentle, yet it was clear she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You're dead. Y-you've been dead for years. At least…that's what Father had told me."

He chuckled. "I could say the same for you. I've spent most of that time thinking you'd shared a similar fate to Mother." Bruno winced, looking down at the ground for a moment before back up at her. "Even if she wasn't yours."

"No, Father was quite kind to me," Veronica stated. "Besides, well…lying to me, it seems." She waved at the gardens around them. "So what brings you back home? You've obviously been treated well wherever you were before. Was there a specific reason you left?"

"It's…kind of a long story." Bruno answered simply. "And I'll warn you now, not everyone is going to like it. I don't regret it, either."

"Oh, I'm sure they won't mind." Her threatening tone was paired with a blank glare over his shoulder. He heard a light rustling behind him. Then her expression brightened up a little and she looked back at her brother. "I'm listening."

Bruno took a moment to best put the past years into words. He left out most everything that wasn't important, figuring that if she ever wanted to know, he could tell her later. Veronica made a variety of faces at him throughout the story, especially as he told her about the Order.

"So you're that mysterious Zacharias then."

He nodded.

"There'd been reports of a boy that looked like you who had that name," Veronica told him. "I should have you executed; fighting against your home and having the nerve coming back. It was brave of you to even attempt leaving Askr at all." She gave him a little smile. "But I won't do that. I'm not as heartless as to kill my own brother… Instead, I'd much rather behead those who try to tell me otherwise."

Not long after that, they left for the palace.

(Hey did I mention in this slightly-AU Xander had been working for Veronica for two years, just actually bound by that contract? He's been a loyal slave follower for quite a while.

Also, yes, Veronica IS the actual empress here—the title of Princess just stuck.)


	12. Part 12- Finale

When they arrived, Veronica made sure all the servants understood that they were to treat Bruno as the prince he was; she even gave them vivid descriptions of what she'd do to them if she caught any of them treating him otherwise. He tried telling her it wasn't really necessary, but she didn't seem to pay attention.

Bruno made sure his sister knew he wasn't always going to be at the palace. It was a bit hard for him to explain, but she seemed to understand regardless. They spent a while together trying to figure out how he could look like someone different, should he ever run into his old friends. Soon enough they came to the conclusion of a more formal change of clothes and a mask—joined together by Veronica's promise to show him how to wield magic so then he could leave the lance behind.

Soon he found himself watching his old friends from a distance. He watched them search for him; saw Anna's desperate attempts to keep the prince and princess together. In a couple of months they had received information about some "divine weapon," though Bruno didn't risk getting any closer to find out more.

He traveled the worlds in search of an answer. Something to help his sister and allow him to come back to his friends. Many times his weeks of searching would only end in failure, or a handful of things he didn't know was helpful or useless. Then under the name of Zacharias, occasionally he'd send out the Order to look into something he could not.

A year passed in a blink. Bruno observed the product of the divine weapon—a girl no older than Veronica, who they constantly referred to as both the Summoner and Fauna—and quickly realized he'd been replaced as he watched even Alfonse befriend her. It wasn't until Bruno stepped into the affairs of the Order again that they told her about Zacharias. Not long after that he stood in battle against them, revealing his title as prince of Embla and later being found out as being Zacharias, too. Despite being their enemy, they still treated him as a friend. When he went as far as to force them to kill him, they still refused. A part of him had been mad at them for it; but the other was glad they didn't.

So here he was, in the present day, watching his friends from afar. The sun was setting yet the merrymaking of the Order could be heard from miles. He didn't know what they were celebrating. But it was nice, to sit and just dream of being with them again.

As the young Summoner came into view, he smiled.

"Fauna, it's up to you for now. Keep them safe for me…alright?"

(Yup, this is the end! I kind of described the events of Book I but I kept it simple to avoid saying something wrong.)


End file.
